Middlings purifier



(No Model.) v 3 SheetsSheet 1.

G. P. SHERWOOD.

MIDDLINGS PURIFIER. No. 330,745. Patented Nov. 17, 1885.

s Sheets- 8mm; 2. G. F.. SHERWOOD.

MIDDLINGS PURIFIER. v

Patented Nov. 17, 1885.

PETERS. PholnLithognpher. Wilhingtnn. D. C.

(No Model.)

3 Sheets'-Sh eet 3.

3m 0 mm R 'Rw .ES HG m Rm m. GM

(No' Model.)

No. 330.745; Patented N o vr 1.7. 123 5.

UNITE STATES j PATENT OFFic GEORGE F. SHERWOOD, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN,ASSICNOE TO THE GEORGE T. SMITH MIDDLINGS PURIFIER COMPANY, OF SAMEPLACE.

MlDDLlNQS-PURIFIER,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,745, dated November1'7, 1885.

Application filed July 2, 1884. Renewed July 16, 1885. Serial No.171,804. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. SHERWOOD,

a citizen of the United States, residing at J ackson,in the county ofJackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Middlings-Purifiers, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawlngs.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of so much of a middlings-purifier as isnecessary to illustrate my invention, apart of the casing being removed.Fig. 2 is a detached elevation, enlarged, of that partof the purifier towhich my invention specifically pertains. Fig. 3 is a top or plan Viewof Fig. 2. Fig. 4is atransverse vertical section taken on line a: y ofFig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrow 1 of that figure. Fig. 5is an enlarged view, showing in detail the brush-shaft bearing at thetail end of the machine.

Like letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

A A are the'front vertical posts, and B B the rear vertical posts.

C D are horizontal girts or rails connecting the posts A B on each sideof of the machine. The other parts of the frame-work, not beinglettered,may be of any usual or approved construction, as may also bethegather-boards E and easing F, although in practice I prefer that theseparts correspond substantially to those shown in various patents.

G is the shaker,which is suspended by pendulum-links or hangers, whichare at their upper ends pivoted to the casing or framework, and isreciprocated by means of eccentrics on shaft H and pitmen h h, which attheir inner rear ends are attached to a cross-bar, g, of the shaker.

I I are the brushways, the upper surfaces of which are traversed by theback of the brush J when the bristles of the brush a'rein contact withthe under surface of the boltingcloth, which is stretched across theshaker.

I will now describe the devices which I have invented for supporting andadjusting these 'brushways to insure aproper engagement of the brushwith the bolting-cloth.

K Kare vertical standards, each formed by preference of cast metal,andconsisting, essentially, of a flat plate having ribs projectingoutwardly from its edges, and provided with angular feet is at each end,and with a central vertical slot, j. Each standardis of a length equalto the distance between the rails or girts C D, to which it may besecured by means of a lug or spur, c, projecting from the upper end ofthe standard into the socket in the under side of rail C, and a screw,d,which 50 passes through the lower foot or plate and into the uppersurface of the rail or girt D. These standards are by preferencearranged with their inner faces about on a line with the inner faces ofthe rails or girts.

L L are carriers interposed between the vertical standards and thebrushways, and in this instance are made in the form of thimblesflattened at their ends, to engage with the standards and'the sides ofthe carriers, and perforated to receive bolts Z Z, the outer ends ofwhich pass through the slots j j in the standards and have thumb-nutsi tapplied thereto, by means of which the height of the brush,- waysrelative to the shaker may be adjusted at will Within certainlimits-that is to say, the lengths of the slots j j-so as to insureaproper engagement of the brush with the boltingcloth, as will bereadily understood without further explanation; butI do not wish to belimited to the particular form shown of either the vertical standards,the carriers, or the devices for securing the carriers to the standards, as many modifications therein will naturally suggest themselves toa skilled mechanic without departing from my invention.

M M, Figs. 1 and 2, are the brush-chains, mounted near each end of themachine upon sprocket-wheels N O, which in turn are mounted,respectively, upon shafts 0 P. The 0 shaft P is adjustably supported inthe rear ends of forked hangers Q Q, which slide in grooved ways inplatesR B, which are bolted or secured to the outer faces of thebrushways. q q are thumb-nuts on the ends 'of the bolts which passthrough slots qf in thehangers Q Q, and into or through the plateslR R.

r r are set-screws mounted in flanges projecting outwardly from plates RR, the inner ends of the screws engaging with the ends of K the hangersQ Q and operating to thrust the hangers, the brush-shaft P, and thesprocketwheels N toward the tail end of the machine, for the purpose oftightening the brush-chains, and the thumb-nuts q q and their boltsassist in holding the hangers in position after a proper adjustment hasbeen made.

To prevent cramping of parts, and thus facilitate a proper and easyengagement of the brush-shafts with their bearings 19 12, these bearingsare made in the form of sleeves or short sections of hollow cylindershaving radially-projecting lugs or pivots-oz n, which are seated insocket-s or recesses formed for their reception in the forked ends ofthe hangers. (See Figs. 2, 3, and 5.) The opposite doubled ends of thechains pass over sprocketwheels 0, which are mounted upon shafts 0,driven by a chain traversing sprocket-wheel 0. (See Fig. 3, not shown inthe other figures.) This sprocket-wheel, being keyed to the brush-shaftor a suitable train of gearing or belts, may be employed for thatpurpose. The shaft 0 is mounted at each end in asleeve,

v S s, the part 8 being an expanded bearing forming a complete circle incross-section on a line at right angles to the shaft, and being alsoformed in an arc of a circle in cross-section on a line parallel withthe axis of the shaft. Each of these party-spherical bearings s ismounted inside of a correspondinglyshaped ring, t, upon the inner end ofa shank or arm, T, which is mounted in a practically horizontal positionin one of the front posts A.

U is a threaded hand-wheel engaging with a threaded shank or stem, u,projecting outwardly from the end of the arm T, by means of whichdevices the shaft 0 can be moved bodily at each end separately towardthe posts A A, whereby the tension of the chains M M can be regulated atwill.

I am aware that vertically-adj ustable brushways or bars have beenemployed below the shaker in a middlings-purifier, and also that shaftswhich carry the chains have been made adjustable for the purpose ofregulating the tension of the chains, and therefore do not claim suchconstructions broadly; but many advantages grow out of the combinationof these yielding bearings and their adjusting devices with thebrush-shafts and brushways of a middlings-purifier. For instance, by'anexamination of Fig. 5 it will be readily seen that either of thebearings of this construction may be moved toward the tail of themachine to produce a proper tension of the belts or chains withoutcramping or binding the brushshaft, either in the bearing which is thusadj usted or the one near the opposite end of the shaft, such adjustmentbeing sometimes necessary on account of variations in the lengths of thebelts or chains, or from other causes. So,also,it sometimes happens thatthe rear end of one of the brushways needs to be elevated without makinga corresponding adjustment of the other brushway, and this can be donewithout cramping the shaft in its bearings;

hence I efi'ect a decided improvement in a middlings-purifier bycombining these bearings with the brushways, belts or chains, andbrush-shafts, even though bearings of this general character andpossessing some or all of the capabilities of mine are old, broadlyconsidered.

Instead of the carrier shown, I may move the brushways so close to thevertical standards as to permit bolting directly to the standards,although such construction mightbe undesirable, because it wouldnecessitate a much longer brush-back; or, instead of the form ofstandards shown, I might use round or manysided rods, and employcarrierswhich have .eyes or loops in their outer ends to surround the round ormany-sided standards, to which they could be secured by set-screwspassing through the eyes and engaging with the standards; or othermodifications in detail might be adopted without departing from thespirit of myinvention. Nor doIwish to be limited to the specificconstruction of the bearings and their pivotal connections with thehangers Q Q, by means of which flexibility of the connections betweenthe bearings and the hangers is secured; nor to the particularconstruction of the party-spherical bearings and inclosing-rings at theother end of the machine, by means of which a similar result isattained, and whereby adjustments of either of the bearings may be madewithout a similar adjustment of the bearing which supports the other endof the shaft, and without producing any undue cramping or frictionbetween the shaft and its bearing; nor do I wish to be limited tobrushes which are driven by endless belts, because the invention isequally applicable for the support of brushes which are actuated byother mechanism, or for the support of a traveling air blast or otherstyle of clothcleaner in which it is desirable to adjust the supportsrelative to the bolt-cloth.

What I claim is- '1. In a middlings-purifier, the combination of thebrushways, the vertical posts or standards by the sides of thebrushways, and devices for supporting and adjusting the brushways uponthe vertical standards, substantially as set forth.

2. In a middlings-purifier, the combination of the brushways, theslotted vertical posts or standards by the sides of the brushways, thecarriers interposed between the brushways and the vertical standards,and devices adjustably supporting the brushways upon the verticalstandards, substantially as set forth.

3. In a middlings-purifier, the combination of the brushways, theslotted vertical standards, and the carriers interposed between thebrushways and the vertical posts and engaging with the outer and innerfaces of the slotted posts, substantially as set forth.

4. In a middlings-purifier, the'combination, with the brushways, of'thevertical posts, the carriers, and the screw-threaded bolts and nutsconnecting the brushways and the carriers with the vertical standards,substantially as set forth.

5. In a middlings-purifier, the combination, with the brushways, of theshaft P, the forked hangers, and the bearings surrounding the shafts andpivoted in the forked ends of the hangers, substantially as set forth.

6. In a middlings-purifier, the combination of the brushways, the shaft,the forked hangers, the bearings surrounding the shaft and pivoted inthe hangers, and adjusting devices connecting the hangers with thebrushways, substantially as set forth.

7. In a middlings-purifier, the combination, with the brushways andbelts, of the shaft 0, the sleeves surrounding the shaft and providedwith party-spherical bearings, and the arm T, having rings 15, adaptedto receive the party-spherical bearings, substantially as set forth.

8. In a middlings-purifier, the combination, with the brushways andbelts or chains, of

the belts or chains, the shaft 0, and yielding bearings supported uponthe main frame, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE E. SHERWOOD. Witnesses:

O. E. BENNETT, GEo. S. BENNETT.

